Two goals in stoppage time grabbed Snodland Town a point after a titanic three-three SCEFL Premier battle with Hollands & Blair which saw the home side recover from after Dean Grants second half double had seemingly won the points for the visitors.
Snodland went into the game knowing that victory could have taken them top of the fledgling table, but it in the end they were grateful just to get a point in a game with so many twists and turns that it was a joy to behold.
And it was the visitors who took the lead when Mo Cham waltzed through and slipped the ball under keeper Sam Freeman. The home side though weren’t behind for long as following good play from the impressive Tyler Jackson, Chris Alhassan beat Blair keeper Dan Ellis with a fierce angled drive.
Level at the break, the visitors took full advantage of kicking down the slope in the second period with Grant heading home his first from a great ball in from Kelvin Boissiere and then dancing round a stranded Freeman after a terrific through ball by Cham to surely seal the points.
The home side looked dead and buried two down going into stoppage time, but Kian Scott gave Snodland unexpected hope as he turned Sekou Traore’s ball home. Then incredibly the home side grabbed a point as Scott bundled the ball home as a long throw into the box from Todd Brand had caused chaos.
Jackson had the games first chance with a fierce drive that referee Davis “robbed” Ellis of a brilliant tip over by awarding a goal kick. In their first attack Blair took the lead as the home defence simply allowed Chann to run and run and he slotted the ball under the keeper.
The home side weren’t behind for long as Jackson found Alhassan who smashed home the equaliser.
As the game flowed from end-to-end, up and down the slope, Grant crashed a header off the Snodland bar, Matt Gethin powered a header straight at Freeman, whilst at the other end Scott blazed over, Manu Shoderu went round Ellis but was denied twice by clearances off the line as he couldn’t force the ball home and as the half elapsed, Scott’s shot sailed high over the bar.
Blair upped the tempo kicking down the slope in the second half right from the start as Grant thumped the foot of left post. Boissiere had an overhead well grabbed by Freeman before Grant struck – Boissiere’s cross was true, Grants header was better and Blair had the lead!
Soon it was 3-1 as a long ball released Grant and he kept his head to walk to the ball into the net to seemingly send Blair second in the table.
No one had taken into account the remarkable finish – Freemans huge kick released Traore and when he found Hudson, he rolled the ball home, and there was hope – hope that was spectacularly grabbed as Scott became the hero to bundle home in the middle of a huge scramble.
A terrific advert for the SCEFL and Snodland will hope that the late comeback will surely serve as a massive boost ahead of the Clubs very first appearance in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
SNOLAND TOWN – Leonard, Jackson (Brand), Cousins (Dymond), Hudson, Bolarinwa, Akpoefafe, Olawole, Shoderu (Benning), Alhassan (Traore), Dunn (Shepherd), Scott
HOLLANDS & BLAIR – Ellis, Jackson, Brooker, Peters, Weston, Gething, Boissiere (Batula), Gillies, Grant (Briffitt), Rowland, Cham.
Subs – Flynn, Draycott, Fitzgerald
REFEREE – Mr Davis
Images courtesy of Jason Stanley